Thursday, May 1, 2014

Issue 22: May-Jun 2014 is now available!

Inside History magazine is for people passionate about Australian and New Zealand genealogy, history and heritage. Confronting and commemorating our past: issue 22 of Inside History (May-Jun) is here.

Boy convicts, the Myall Creek massacre, the charming tale of a wartime bugler, what to do when the historical record gets it wrong, and much more! Issue 22 of Inside History combines entertain-ing historic stories, practical family history tips, and hard-hitting accounts of Australian history’s darkest episodes. Myall Creek 176 years on: what secrets are still hidden about this significant yet horrific event? In-side History regular Mark Tedeschi, Senior Crown Prosecutor for New South Wales, re-examines the genocidal Myall Creek massacre of Indigenous people in 1838 in this first instalment of a two-part series. One of the most violent atrocities to ever mar the colonial frontier, find out what really happened at Myall Creek - and which perpetrator got away with murder. An unsettling yet vital read.

Facing another dark yet crucial chapter in Australian history, discover the little-known stories of child convicts sent to Australia. Best-selling author Stephen Orr investigates the experiences of convict boys in the early 1800s and reveals why Point Puer Boys’ Prison was known as ‘a junior Port Arthur’. Next, Inside History takes on the challenge of faulty records: what to do when you come across an historical record that is factually incorrect? Learn how to go about correcting official records and do your bit for posterity in our touching story of one researcher’s mission to restore her ancestor to his rightful place in history.

Meet the proud descendants of record-breaking cyclist Eddie Reichenbach and hear how they are commemorating the century of his cross-country ride from Adelaide to Darwin. We also take a walk on the wild side, following in the footsteps of a lesser-known explorer on his 1848 trek to Cape York.

Then, join us as we tour the Western Front of 1916 through the eyes of a World War One soldier, bearing witness to the wartime experiences recounted in his own, at times heartbreaking, diary. Jenny Norberry, one of the curators of the Australian War Memorial's ANZAC Voices exhibition tells his story.

Plus, read the tale of an Aussie bugler whose calls and coo-ees sounded through both world wars.

Take your own family history further with Shauna Hicks’s expert guide to the Lutheran archives, and find out what the Australian Dress Register can unveil about your ancestors’ past as represen-tatives from the Powerhouse Museum field reader questions on historical dress.

Then, famous genealogist Joshua Taylor gives the scoop on the worldwide campaign underway to digitise society journals and newsletters from all around the world. Find out how you can utilise this international resource - and how you can help!

Plus, we look at how an 1820s map of Launceston has been brought into the 21st century and learn about findmypast’s ambitious upcoming campaign. Inside History also ventures behind the scenes of History SA to find out what’s in store for the country’s largest community history festival, About Time. Not to mention our regular round-up of the latest and greatest online records from around the world!

Commemorate, confront and uncover the past - from unknown secrets to significant milestones, tragedies and triumphs alike - in the latest issue of Inside History.

Also in this edition:
  • Delve into religious heritage: we tour Australia’s oldest European church, Ebenezer church
  • Discover the oldest synagogue and mosque in the country
  • Find out which staple Sydney microfiche resource has just been digitised!
  • Learn about the latest Australian museum to open its doors
  • Top reviews of the latest apps and books to check out
  • Win one of five box sets of 10 special edition World War One Penguin books
And much more – in fact, 76 pages of terrific features, practical information on genealogy, chances to network with other family historians, and book and app reviews. On sale now online - click here to buy! Issue 22 is available in newsagents nationally now - click here to see where.

Take a sneak peek at Issue 22 before you buy!

On sale now online - click here to buy! Issue 22 is available in newsagents nationally - click here to see where. If your local newsagent doesn't stock us though, then they should be able to put a order in for you from Gordon & Gotch [G&G] - our title number is 11904 and G&G is on 1300 650 666, if your agent asks.  Once your newsagent sends in your request, we'll make sure that our next edition, Issue 22: May-Jun 2014, is sent there for you!

Packed as always with in-depth family history research advice and features on Australia’s social history and heritage, Inside History is Australia’s leading bi-monthly magazine for people passionate about the past. It’s available from newsagents nationally for $9.95, and digitally for $8.49 on iPad via Apple Newsstand, and for Android and desktop computers through Zinio. Or subscribe and have it delivered straight to your door.

Click on the image to buy Issue 22: May-Jun 2014 print edition

Sunday, July 14, 2013

50 genealogy blogs you need to read in 2013!

Inside History’s 2nd Annual Genealogy Blog Awards are here! With the help of geneablogger Jill Ball, we’ve compiled our best 50 blogs from around the world. Get ready for “a glorious and unforgettable ride”. Drum roll, please…

What makes a geneablog great? Many people’s responses to this question via Twitter and Google+ have guided the choices here for Inside History’s 2nd Annual Genealogy Blog Awards.
The suggestion that most struck a chord was from Caroline Pointer who wrote, ‘Ones that take me on a glorious and unforgettable ride. And all the other stuff everyone else suggested.’ Our respondents looked for elements such as accuracy, commitment, consistency, content, originality, photographs, tone and writing style, while a few people touched on the technical aspects of a blog like a clean appearance, and no junk ads. Alona Tester suggested, ‘useful bits like blog archives [and] search, subscribe and share buttons’. Blogs that are easy to find, access and navigate rated highly here; blogs are a collaborative medium so bloggers need to make it easy for readers to interact with their audience. The relevance of these features varies from blog to blog depending on their style and purpose.

Surprisingly, no-one suggested passion, which is an extension of commitment. When examining the blogs for this list, commitment from an institutional or commercial blog, or passion from a personal blog rated highly. A blogger does not have to post daily to have commitment, but it needs to be on a regular basis be it daily, weekly or monthly. Readers also need to know what to expect, and this should be communicated in an About page on a blog. Other static pages such as calendars, contact details, disclosures and other relevant information also add value. Originality was the feature that received the most mentions and this has been a big factor in determining the awards. In the words of one respondent, we were looking for blogs that contain more than ‘simply press releases’. It’s great to see new blogs being launched all the time in the geneablogging world, and some of these are included here, such as Irish Genealogy News and Jax Trax.

The following list of Inside History’s top 50 blogs for 2013 is divided into categories and is listed in alphabetical order rather than rank or order of merit. So without any further ado, let’s reveal which blogs from around the globe made it onto our must-read (and must-follow) list for 2013…

Institutions:
Stay up to date with what some of our leading institutions are doing when it comes to family history. Here are a few that we like to read:

1. Archives Outside, archivesoutside.records.nsw.gov.au
2. Australian War Memorial, www.awm.gov.au/blog
3. Dictionary of Sydney, trust.dictionaryofsydney.org/category/blog
4. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, blogs.slq.qld.gov.au/jol
5. Kintalk, Auckland City Libraries, kintalkfamilyhistory.blogspot.com
6. Manly Families, Manly Library, manlyfamilies.blogspot.com
7. Moonee Valley History, mooneevalleyfamilylocalhistory.blogspot.com.au
8. Perth History Centre, community.perth.wa.gov.au/historycentre
9. Public Record Office Victoria, prov.vic.gov.au/publications/blog
10. National Library of Australia, blogs.nla.gov.au/the-eloquent-page
11. The National Archives, blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Organisations Want to be the first to know when new records or techy features are released? Here are our favourite blogs from genealogy organisations:

12. Ancestry.com.au, blogs.ancestry.com/au
13. Billion Graves, blog.billiongraves.com
14. FamilySearch, familysearch.org/blog
15. findmypast.com, blog.findmypast.com
16. Geneanet Genealogy Blog, genealogyblog.geneanet.org
17. Gould Genealogy and History News, www.gouldgenealogy.com
18. Legacy Family Tree, news.legacyfamilytree.com
19. MyHeritage Blog, blog.myheritage.com

Niche topics and societies Some blogs are smaller in scope, but have a largesse of informative posts on the topic at hand. Here are some examples:

20. Genealogists for Families Project, genfamilies.blogspot.com
21. Local History Newslink, Maitland NSW, localhistorynews.blogspot.com
22. The Empire Called and I Answered, empirecall.blogspot.com
23. Genealogical Society of Victoria, genealogyworld.blogspot.com.au
24. Ku-ring-gai Historical Society, kuringgaihs.blogspot.com

Personal genealogists As every researcher knows, family history is a labour of love, whether it’s a hobby or a career. Here are our favourite personal blogs:

25. Anglo-Celtic Connections, anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com
26. A Rebel Hand, rebelhand.wordpress.com
27. Auld Genealogy, auldgenealogy.blogspot.com.au
28. Australian Genealogy Journeys, ausgenjourneys.blogspot.com
29. Backtracking, boobookbacktracks.blogspot.com.au
30. Chloe Okoli, chloeokoli.com
31. Dear Myrtle, blog.dearmyrtle.com
32. Family History Across the Seas, cassmob.wordpress.com
33. Family History Fun, scotsue-familyhistoryfun.blogspot.com
34. GenBlog, genblogjulie.blogspot.com
35. Genealogy’s Star, genealogysstar.blogspot.com
36. Geniaus, geniaus.blogspot.com
37.Jax Trax, jackievanbergen.blogspot.com
38. Kylie’s Genes, blog.kyliesgenes.com
39. Lonetester HQ, www.lonetester.com
40. Mad about Genealogy, madaboutgenealogy.com
41. Now and Then, lynnwalsh.wordpress.com
42. Strong Foundations, shazlex.blogspot.com.au
43. Stumbling Through the Past, stumblingpast.wordpress.com
44. Western District Families, mywdfamilies.wordpress.com

Professional genealogists We love these blogs that offer a regular glimpse into the work being done in the family history world:

45. British Genes, britishgenes.blogspot.com
46. Shauna Hicks, diaryofanaustraliangenealogist.blogspot.com
47. Geneabloggers, geneabloggers.com
48. Irish Genealogy News, iirish-genealogy-news.blogspot.com
49. Jayne Shrimpton, jayneshrimpton.tumblr.com
50. The Family Recorder, thefamilyrecorder.blogspot.com